Important Information

Here’s a few very important things to keep in mind when using Humboldt Nutrients products.

All Feeding Charts and application recommendations are not definitive instructions. All crops and varieties within plant species have different nutritional needs and metabolism rates. Some svarieties are genetically predisposed to be heavy feeders and others are light feeders. There are many environmental factors which can influence fertilization requirements like higher metabolism rates when using carbon dioxide emitters. We recommend that all gardeners research their favorite varieties and learn what their particular nutritional needs are. More importantly, pay attention to what your plants are telling you.

All Research and Development using Humboldt Nutrients products is conducted by obtaining water through Reverse Osmosis. This ensures that all the elements are provided by the gardener and not from the tap water. Reverse Osmosis filters all the elements out of the tap water and provides a zero Parts-Per-Million (PPM). If you do not use Reverse Osmosis, it might be helpful to lower the suggested application rate.

Humboldt Nutrients recommends that when fertilizing, you consider the amount of available nutrients in the substrates that you are growing in. For example, if you are using a well amended potting soil, always take the availability of those amendments into consideration when fertilizing. Microorganisms are constantly breaking down those amendments and providing nutrition to your plants. There is no predictability of what elements are available in this situation, so it might be helpful to only fertilize once a week in this situation. In an inert hydroponic or soilless media, the gardener must fertilize more frequently to compensate for the lack of nutrition in the substrate.

Foliar spraying can be a great way to ensure that your plants are receiving proper nutrition. This practice is underutilized and can be a effective tool for gardeners. If your plants have a visible deficiency or have greater nutritional needs due to size and maturity of the plant, foliar sprays can be applied directly to the plant the leaf tissue, where they can be more quickly absorbed. Please reference Humboldt Nutrients Foliar Charts found on the Feeding Charts page.

Organic gardening cannot be considered Hydroponic, nor vice versa. We base our Natural products on interpretations given by Organic Certifiers on what inputs are allowed in an organic garden. If a crop is to be considered truly “Organic,” all of the crucial elements contained in the fertilizers, organic amendments, or supplements, must be made available through the decomposition of organic materials by microorganisms. Hydroponic fertilizers must be more readily available in order to compensate for the lack of nutrition in the substrate. The instant availability of the crucial elements is achieved through a chelate.

Humboldt Nutrients manufactures hydroponic fertilizers that can be considered bio-degradable, but not Organic. The instant availability of the elements does not provide for an “Organic” claim. We use complex organic and amino acid chelates in our hydroponic fertilizers. These proprietary plant based chelates provide a much lower salt-index than a majority of fertilizers containing synthetic chelates. As a result, naturally existing or inoculated biological life can thrive and continue working for the plant in higher concentrations of fertilizer. In essence, Humboldt Nutrients hydroponic fertilizers feed the plants and microorganisms readily available nutrients. The grower gets the best of both worlds using Humboldt Nutrients.